2025 College for a Day
January 13, 2025
Lectures given by professors from
Connecticut, Smith and Sweet Briar Colleges
8:30 am – Registration and name tag pick-up
8:45 am – Seating opens
9:30 am – Lectures begin
College for a Day
January 13, 2025
8:30 am – Registration and name tag pick-up
8:45 am – Seating opens
9:30 am – Lectures begin
“Seeking Ren in the Analects: A Brief Introduction to Confucianism”
Dr. Zhen Liang
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Sweet Briar College
This lecture will provide a brief introduction of Confucian philosophy by examining its most central concept — ren. Commonly translated as Goodness, authoritative humanity, perfect virtue, benevolence, etc., ren is the ethical ideal for which every Confucian strives. Nevertheless, Confucius never provided an explicit definition of the most central concept of his teaching. The presentation will focus on a quest for ren through the Analects to examine the various answers regarding ren that Confucius gives to his different disciples. Through the analysis of these representative passages, the heart and spirit of Confucianism will be revealed.
“Becoming Carbon Neutral at Smith College: The Geothermal Energy Project”
Dr. Beth Hooker
Administrative Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability
Smith College
Smith College is making big moves to address the world’s climate crisis through its pledge to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and its $210 million investment in geothermal energy. Smith is a true pioneer in sustainability as shown by the construction project to transform the campus- wide heating and cooling system. Education is the hallmark of this success: Smith explicitly links impact with its mission and is committed to shaping climate leaders who can address society’s challenges.
“The Liberal Arts and The Myth of Thinking for Yourself”
Dr. Simon Feldman
Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy
Connecticut College
The current political culture war over higher education is often framed as a debate about whether colleges and universities are indoctrination mills, churning out “woke” knee-jerk progressive students, little more than copies of the faculty who are “teaching” them. This talk investigates whether it should be the aim of a liberal arts education to cultivate students’ ability to think for themselves and argues, provocatively, that there are better frameworks for defending the mission and practices of the liberal arts.
2025 Speakers
Three Distinguished Professors
Three Dynamic Subjects
Dr. Zhen Liang
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Sweet Briar College
Hailing from Shandong, China, the hometown of Confucius, Dr. Liang never thought that her life would take a philosophical turn. After her study of the great books at St. John’s College (NM), Dr. Liang studied process philosophy, philosophy of science and applied ethics to earn a PhD at DePaul University which brought her full circle to the study of Chinese philosophies including Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. At Sweet Briar, Dr. Liang conducts research at the intersection of east-west comparative philosophy by teaching a diverse array of philosophy and religion courses. She is also the advisor of the newly founded club – Society for Young Philosophers (SYP).
Dr. Beth Hooker
Administrative Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability Smith College
Beth Hooker, Ph.D., is the Administrative Director of the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability at Smith College. Dr. Hooker has extensive experience in education, teaching environmental science and providing institutional sustainability leadership at Mount Holyoke and Hampshire Colleges and Deerfield Academy. At Hampshire, she directed a 100-acre educational and production organic farm and led numerous projects to promote regional resiliency, sustainable practices, and clean energy technologies. Dr. Hooker received a B.A. from Connecticut College, double majoring in chemistry and Asian studies. She earned an M.S. in soil science and a Ph.D. in ecosystems ecology from the University of Connecticut.
Dr. Simon Feldman
Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Connecticut College
Simon Feldman is Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Connecticut College where he teaches courses such as Ethics, Philosophy of Law, Philosophy of Education, and Feminist Philosophy. He is the author of Against Authenticity: Why You Shouldn’t Be Yourself. His current manuscript is entitled Defending Indoctrination: Critical Thinking, The Liberal Arts, and The Myth of Thinking for Yourself. He earned his B.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University.
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